Date & Time:
Oct 4, 1941 at 1605 LT
Type of aircraft:
Polikarpov Po-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-A1194
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Delivery
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Pyatigorsk – Vorochilovsk – Krasnodar
MSN:
16508
YOM:
1940
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
745
Circumstances:
The crew was supposed to convoy the airplane (delivery flight) from Pyatigorsk to Krasnodar with an intermediate stop in Vorochilovsk (now Stavropol). Prior to departure from Vorochilovsk, the crew estimated the weather conditions as suitable and took off at 1540LT for Krasnodar. Few minutes after takeoff, weather conditions deteriorated and the visibility was too low. Despite the situation, the pilot decided to continue in clouds when he lost control of the airplane that crashed in a wooded area located south of the city. The pilot was killed and the flight engineer was injured.
Probable cause:
Failure of the pilot to continue the flight in below minima weather conditions and his failure to continue the flight rather than to return to the departure airport. Poor flight preparation was a contributing factor.
